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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967532">Legends: Living and Otherwise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjdevlin19/pseuds/CrashDevil'>CrashDevil (cjdevlin19)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Best Laid Plans Series [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Reader-Insert, a/b/o dynamics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:53:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjdevlin19/pseuds/CrashDevil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Y/n is doing well in the Underworld.<br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>“Hydromancy. Do you know what that is?”</p>
<p>“Water divination,” you answered.</p>
<p>She picked up a small pebble from beside the bowl and dropped it into the water. The water rippled out to the edges and a vision of Dean appeared. He was standing next to a brunette in a pink shirt, who was sitting in a director’s chair. He was smiling that shy smile you loved so much.</p>
<p>“Wait, is that Tara Benchley?” you whispered. You leaned closer. “He’s flirting with a scream queen?” Watching him flirt with another woman was always difficult, but at least he was smiling. At least he was happy and alive. You couldn’t look away. “C-can I keep watching?” you whispered.</p>
<p>You watched for hours…maybe days, time in the Underworld didn’t seem to make any sense. Dean looked so ridiculous with that radio headset on his head. He couldn’t stop stuffing his face or giving flirty smiles to Tara. He didn’t seem too affected by the loss of you…and that was okay. The Yellow-eyed Demon told you that Dean didn’t feel the same. You didn’t need him to love you the same way you loved him…especially now that you were dead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Best Laid Plans Series [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1526507</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Legends: Living and Otherwise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b>Pairing</b>: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader, Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader, Alpha!John x Omega!Reader</p>
<p><b>Story Warnings</b>: angst…A/B/O dynamics, canon divergence, Hell and other Underworlds,</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>“Are you doing okay? I know this is such a jarring environment,” Persephone said, setting a glass of water in front of you.</p>
<p>“Can I drink this or-”</p>
<p>“The water is from the surface. It’s from a glacier in British Columbia. Don’t worry. Enjoy,” she said with a sweet smile.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” you responded as you picked up the glass.</p>
<p>“You should definitely avoid the food, though…unless <em>I</em> bring it to you.” Your eyes jumped to hers and she shrugged a little. “You might be a soul, but you’re a coveted omega. We wouldn’t want one of the titans or such to get their hands on you.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Don’t get a lot of omegas in the Underworld, do you?”</p>
<p>“We rarely get <em>anyone </em>these days. With the rise of Neopaganism, we’ve seen an uptick, but…Hell gets most, Heaven gets the rest.” She pulled her hair back from her shoulders and smiled again. “The few sweet omegas we’ve got in the Underworld, most of them end up in The Fields of Mourning.”</p>
<p>You rolled your eyes at that. “Probably died of pining sickness,” you grumbled.</p>
<p>She laughed. “You don’t like weak omegas, do you?” she asked, and you felt bad until she continued. “Neither do I. That’s why I was so fascinated with you. You have to be the strongest <em>human</em> omega I’ve ever seen. I was heartbroken to see you cross over into Hell.”</p>
<p>“I had to,” you whispered, taking a sip of the water. It was cool and refreshing, the most wonderful water you had ever tasted.</p>
<p>“You don’t even bear his mark, Y/n. Why would you sacrifice your soul for him?” she asked, softly.</p>
<p>“Because he deserved to live…much more than I do,” you said with a shrug.</p>
<p>“You love him, don’t you?” You looked away. “Would you like to see him?” Your eyes snapped to hers. Her green eyes sparkled. She stood and almost glided as she walked over to a large basin. “Hydromancy. Do you know what that is?”</p>
<p>“Water divination,” you answered, following her to the bowl.</p>
<p>“Good. You’re just as smart as I thought.” She picked up a small pebble from beside the bowl and dropped it into the water. The water rippled out to the edges and a vision of Dean appeared. He was standing next to a brunette in a pink shirt, who was sitting in a director’s chair. He was smiling that shy smile you loved so much.</p>
<p>“Wait, is that Tara Benchley?” you whispered. You leaned closer. “He’s flirting with a scream queen? What are they doing in L.A.?” You licked your lips. Watching him flirt with another woman was always difficult, but at least he was smiling. At least he was happy and alive. You couldn’t look away. “C-can I keep watching?” you whispered.</p>
<p>“Of course. You’ve got nothing but time.” Persephone stepped away.</p>
<p>You watched for hours…maybe days, time in the Underworld didn’t seem to make any sense. Dean looked so ridiculous with that radio headset on his head. He couldn’t stop stuffing his face or giving flirty smiles to Tara. Sam kept giving him an attitude, you could tell by the younger alpha’s face, but you were focused on Dean. He didn’t seem too affected by the loss of you…and that was okay. The Yellow-eyed Demon told you that Dean didn’t feel the same. You didn’t need him to love you the same way you loved him…especially now that you were dead.</p>
<p>You watched them through the hunt, but you had to stop when the actress pulled Dean into her trailer. You slapped the water and the image rippled out. He was obviously happy with you gone…bedding D-list actresses and hamming it up in Cali. At least he was happy.</p>
<p>As your time in the Underworld continued, Persephone brought you food from the surface and you ate it, but you weren’t actually hungry. You ate because spinach salad with walnuts and goat cheese reminded you of Sam, and the greasy burger she brought you with the chili cheese fries reminded you of Dean, and the peach cobbler she brought you reminded you of the cobbler Bobby always requested you make for special occasions. You ate out of some misplaced nostalgia for the surface world you didn’t get to be a part of anymore.</p>
<p>You checked on them periodically. John spent a lot of his time on solo hunts, but the boys seemed to know where he was and why. He seemed a lot more open with them now. Sam and Dean were always together, except when they were with women. Dean seemed to be with a new woman every time you checked on him. He had tripled his efforts to get his rocks off. Sam had his nose in a book almost every time you checked on him, researching demons and crossroads deals. Studious Sammy. You wondered what prompted his interest, but no sound came across from the basin so you were left to your speculation.</p>
<p>“How are your alphas today, louloudi mou?” Hades asked as he walked in and stepped up next to you. While Persephone was on the surface for springtime he’d taken to checking on you and you’d become friends, as he spent hours telling you stories of heroes and gods that you had read about in Bobby’s books but never thought you would hear from a firsthand account.</p>
<p>“They’re good…I think. They’re fighting vampires, so it’s nothing glaringly difficult. This one, here-” You pointed to a dark-skinned vampire in the reflection that Sam was wrestling with. “-is named Gordon. He used to be a hunter. A take-no-prisoners type. Ares would like him. I never did. Man’s got no compassion.”</p>
<p>Hades hummed and watched over your shoulder as the fight continued. “They are quite capable young men, aren’t they?”</p>
<p>Your lips twitched into a smile. “Yes they are. Even the old man is a capable young man. Look at all the good they’re doing.” You let out a little sigh. “I used to do good, too.”</p>
<p>“You will do good again, louloudi mou,” Hades promised before leaving the room.</p>
<p>You sighed and ran your finger through the water, sending the image away. You had to get out of the palace, maybe take a walk through Elysium.</p>
<p>“No!” A screeching voice shouted as you approached the edge of the Elysian Fields. The birdlike woman dropped to the ground in front of you. The harpies really didn’t like you. “You haven’t <em>earned </em>Elysium!”</p>
<p>“Says you. If you have a problem, take it up with Hades, you big-titted Albatross,“ you snapped before stepping around it into the field. Elysium was the only place in the Underworld where you could get fresh air, the only place where you could feel the sun on your face. It was the closest you could get to the surface. You found a soft spot to lay your head and took a nap that you didn’t need, dreaming of Winchesters and monsters.</p>
<p>Hades and Persephone were waiting for you when you entered the palace hours later…or maybe days. “Come sit with us, agapite mou,” Persephone said, pointing to the chair next to the one she was sitting in Hades lap on. You moved to sit beside them, looking up at the pair. They were so very in love. You could feel it pouring off of them. You wished you could have that. “It’s December on the surface.”</p>
<p>“I know,” you whispered. You didn’t <em>know </em>but you had guessed. There were Christmas lights on houses and green and red banners hanging from the streetlights last time you checked on Dean.</p>
<p>“That’s Christmas…for you, isn’t it?” Hades asked. You nodded. “We’ve grown fond of you, Y/n.”</p>
<p>“So much fonder than when I was watching you from afar,” Persephone chirped with a smile.</p>
<p>“And we would like to give you gifts,” Hades finished.</p>
<p>“Oh, you don’t need to do that! You saved me from Hell. That’s the greatest gift I could ask for!”</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t ever <em>ask</em>, louloudi mou. Which is why we want to give you the greatest thing you can’t imagine.” Hades pulled a coin from his robes and presented it to you. You took it and flipped it over in your hand and looked down at the silver disk, confused. “This is a beacon. Bury it in soft earth and I will come to you.”</p>
<p>You turned your confusion to the god and goddess. “Why would I need you to come find me?”</p>
<p>Persephone beamed. “We know how much you miss your alphas, how much you miss hunting creatures and saving lives…so we’re going to take you back to the surface.”</p>
<p>Shock filled your whole body. It was several moments before you gasped out a “Really?”</p>
<p>“Really. We want you to be happy, Y/n, and we know that you’ll never be happy in the Underworld,” Persephone said.</p>
<p>“You’re happier now than you would have been in Hell, but you will never be truly happy away from…them,” Hades continued. “So Persephone will return you to the surface and you will be able to be happy again…but we are very fond of you and we do not want this to be our last interaction.”</p>
<p>“Which is why we’ve given you the drachma. You can call for anything. We will always love to hear from you.”</p>
<p>You looked down at the coin again, a feeling of wonder coming over you. “I could…you’re gonna…I’m gonna be alive again?” you whispered. It seemed fantastical, surreal.</p>
<p>“As soon as you’re ready, you’ll come with me to the surface and you’ll be alive again.” Persephone slipped off of Hades’ lap and offered her hand to you.</p>
<p>You took it and stood, tears welling up in your eyes as you looked between her and her alpha. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how I could ever repay you both.” you cried as the other omega wrapped her arms around you.</p>
<p>“Be happy. Be strong. Keep those alphas in their place,” Hades answered.</p>
<p>You wiped your eyes and pushed the drachma into your pocket. “Thank you,” you said again.</p>
<p>“Happy Christmas, Y/n,” Persephone said, taking your hand and leading you out of the palace.</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Michigan in late December was freezing compared to the moderate temperature of the Underworld. You were shaking by the time you and Persephone got to Ypsilanti. You looked in the window of the motel room the Impala was parked in front of. You let out a breath as your eyes fell on the Winchesters, sitting on an ugly green couch and chair set. They were watching a football game, all three of them drinking eggnog from clear plastic cups. You turned to look at the Greek goddess. “Thank you, Persephone.”</p>
<p>“Don’t be a stranger, agapite mou,” she said, brushing the snow out of your hair.</p>
<p>She walked away as you turned to the door. Your hand shook as you raised it to knock your knuckles against the wood and it wasn’t all the cold. You were so nervous, but you pushed through, you made yourself knock.</p>
<p>“I got it,” Dean’s voice filtered through the wood. He had a smile on his face for half a second before his eyes focused on your face and his jaw fell slightly. “Y/n?” he whispered, just barely audible.</p>
<p>“Hi,” you whispered back.</p>
<p>He just stared. You shivered and hugged yourself as he looked at you like he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Y/n?” Sam’s voice tore your eyes away from Dean.</p>
<p>“Merry Christmas?” You tried to smile as Dean looked from you to Sam and John as they stood.</p>
<p>“Sammy, grab the holy water,” John commanded as he pulled a silver knife out of his boot. “Dean, step back.” You rolled your jeans up and offered your right calf to him. He sliced the knife across your muscle and you gasped, grabbing the doorframe. Sam handed you the flask of holy water and you took a swig. They all stood back and watched you, waiting for a reaction. When none came, John wrapped you in a tight hug.</p>
<p>You took a deep breath, inhaling John’s familiar and comforting scent as you wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in his chest. “How the hell did you make it out, Y/n?” he asked, pulling back to look down into your eyes.</p>
<p>“It’s such a long story. Can I have some eggnog?” you asked as Sam rushed forward and pulled you out of his father’s arms. You groped at the back of his shirt and held him close. Dean just stood there as you let Sam’s heat warm you.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe you’re back,” Sam said quietly.</p>
<p>“I missed you, Sam,” you said, before pulling back and turning to Dean. He was still just staring at you numbly, his jaw still dropped a bit. “Hey, Dean,” you tried again.</p>
<p>He let out a breath he seemed surprised that he was holding and pulled you into his arms. John shut the door against the cold as Dean buried his face in the crook of your neck. He was trying not to cry, you could feel it. He didn’t want to let you go and you didn’t really want him to, but eventually he patted your back and stepped away and cleared his throat. “Lemme get you an eggnog, Y/n.”</p>
<p>Sam ushered you to the couch while John grabbed a bandage for your leg and Dean poured you a cup of eggnog with a generous amount of rum mixed in. “Where should I start?” you asked, mostly to yourself.</p>
<p>“You sold your soul to Azazel. Let’s start there,” John coached from his spot at your feet.</p>
<p>“Azazel?” you asked.</p>
<p>“The Yellow-Eyed Demon,” Sam filled in.</p>
<p>“Oh.” You nodded as Dean handed you the clear plastic cup. “Yes. Dean was dying. I didn’t see another option. So I summoned the thing…Azazel…and he said ‘a life for a life’.”</p>
<p>“He took you to <em>Hell</em>. Did you know what-” Dean whispered.</p>
<p>“Some people are worth that,” you responded, looking away from the sparkling green eyes to look at the off-white liquid in your cup. “You had to live. It was worth it. Azazel took me…took me down. I…don’t…it was a lot of horrible and it was nonstop until…a pagan god came to me.” You looked up and caught Sam’s eyes.</p>
<p>“Gods of the dead can cross into Hell without issue. Hades said his wife wanted to meet me. So he brought me out of Hell, out of endless torture and pain, to his palace in the Underworld.”</p>
<p>“You saw the Greek Underworld? The Asphodel Meadows, the Elysian Fields…Tartarus?” Sam asked, his eyes full of wonder and intrigue.</p>
<p>“I never went to Tartarus. Hades didn’t wanna give me Hell flashbacks, but yes. Elysium, Asphodel, the Mourning Fields, all of the rivers. I was there more than enough time to explore. Don’t know how long I was there, actually. What year is this?” you asked.</p>
<p>“We’re a week out from 2008,” John answered.</p>
<p>“Wow. Seemed so much longer than a year and a half.” You took a drink of the eggnog. Just your time in Hell had seemed like decades and then the time in the Underworld seemed…You shook your head. “Um, a-anyway, I guess I endeared myself to Hades and Persephone because they…they brought me home. Back to you guys.”</p>
<p>“What was it like?” Dean asked, his voice almost breaking on the last word.</p>
<p>“Hell?” you asked. Memories of fire and pain, hooks in your flesh, and no relief from the pain flooded you and you set your cup on the table. “I mean…time’s weird down there. I think it’s probably designed that way on purpose…another ‘fuck you’ to the souls unfortunate enough to find themselves down there. I don’t-” You shook your head. “I blocked out most of what happened to me down there. It was like one long, horrible…I don’t wanna talk about it.”</p>
<p>“That bad, huh?” Dean asked quietly.</p>
<p>“It’s Hell.” You took a deep breath and smiled. “But I’m back now. I’m here and everything is gonna be okay.” The Winchesters exchanged a look that you weren’t sure what it meant. “What?” you asked.</p>
<p>Dean was the first to shake himself out of whatever they were saying to each other in silence. “Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie, Y/n? Never say ‘everything is gonna be okay’,” he said, smirking. “Come on. Drink up. You gotta catch up to us.”</p>
<p>You picked the cup back up and took a drink. There wasn’t much more said about Hell or death, none of the Winchesters mentioned what they had done the past year and a half, brushing it off as something for another day when you asked. “It’s Christmas!” John said, as he handed you your second cup of nog. “Embrace the spirit!”</p>
<p>You passed out on the couch. You were exhausted and drunk so it was easy to curl your body up on the green fabric and fall asleep. Somewhere in the middle of the night, you were jostled slightly as someone climbed on the couch with you and the licorice smell told you it was Dean before he’d even pulled you back against his chest. He just held you. He didn’t say anything and you didn’t betray that you were awake enough to be aware of his embrace. He just ran his nose along your neck and held you to him and it felt like there were a thousand words in that action.</p>
<p>When you woke in the morning, the heat of him on your back was gone and his voice told you he was on the other side of the room.</p>
<p>"Sam, she just got back!” he argued in a whisper. “You wanna drop that bomb already, man? Let her have five minutes of happy before we rip it-”</p>
<p>“She needs to know, Dean,” Sam whispered back.</p>
<p>“Not yet! It’s gonna devastate her! And I don’t even know how to tell her! What, should I just say ‘Thanks for sacrificing your life for mine, but I’m dead in four months because I pulled the same trick for Sam’?”</p>
<p>He was right. It was devastating. No wonder he was so interested in what Hell was like. You opened your eyes and stared at them. They were standing between the beds, glaring at each other. You sat up, eyes not leaving them. “Think you just told her,” Sam said quietly.</p>
<p>“Y/n, I-” Dean started and you just shook your head, putting a hand up.</p>
<p>You took a deep breath and stood. “Too much to hope for.”</p>
<p>“Y/n, just give us a minute to-” Sam started.</p>
<p>“No.” You turned away from them and focused on the snow outside the window. “What did it?”</p>
<p>There was a moment of silence before Dean spoke, “Sammy got stabbed in the back. He died and I…I couldn’t…Sam deserved to be alive more than-”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” you interrupted. You couldn’t hear him use the same rationale that you used. “Demon deal?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>You fought down a hysterical feeling at the idea of Dean going through what you did. “Well, you got a better shake than I did.”</p>
<p>“Y/n,” the brothers said at the same time.</p>
<p>“No. Please stop.” You took a deep breath and turned back to them. “Just tell me what’s happened while I was downstairs…start with the hospital and go from there.”</p>
<p>They looked between each other and moved to sit on the couch. “Okay. You died,” Dean said.</p>
<p>“Doctors said it was a blood clot thrown by your leg. We gave you a hunter’s funeral and left. We started meeting other people like me. They were all our age, a lot of them had fires in their nurseries on their six month birthday…and they were all…” Sam faltered on his words.</p>
<p>“Psychic…or powered. The one that ganked Sam was just, like, super strong. Hulk strong,” Dean said.</p>
<p>“Azazel kidnapped me, took me to this ghost town in South Dakota to do some kinda battle royale with the other powered people. Whoever was last man standing was supposed to lead Satan’s armies or something. Jake and I were the last two…I tried to get him to work with me, but he stabbed me in the back.”</p>
<p>“And Dean brought you back,” you whispered.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Azazel had Jake use the Colt and open the Hell’s Gate. Hundreds of demons were released. Ancient ones. Ones who haven’t walked the earth in centuries. We’ve been chasing ‘em for months, but…”</p>
<p>“We killed him. Azazel. Put a bullet in his head,” Dean said, nodding slightly. “But now there’s this other demon…blond bitch named Ruby who’s acting like she wants to help. I don’t trust her.”</p>
<p>You nodded. “Demons are generally not trustworthy.”</p>
<p>“Ruby isn’t that bad,” Sam defended. “She said she can help keep Dean out of Hell.”</p>
<p>“She’s a demon, Sam. Demons lie,” Dean snapped.</p>
<p>“I’m just saying that you should hear her out, Dean! What’s the harm in listening to what she has to say?”</p>
<p>“You’ve done plenty of listenin’ for the both of us.”</p>
<p>“Anything else important happen while I was dead?” you asked, putting an end to their argument.</p>
<p>“Uh…the FBI is after us.” Your eyes shot to Sam’s face. “They think we’re murderers and maybe cultists.”</p>
<p>“There’s a Special Agent Henriksen who has been assigned to us. His whole job is bringin’ us down.”</p>
<p>“And there’s this thief Bela Talbot that’s been giving us some problems, too.”</p>
<p>“Right.” You sighed. “Okay. So…we’ve got four months to stop Dean from going to Hell.” Sam smiled but Dean just looked away. “We can do that.”</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>“I haven’t met her,” Dean said suddenly while Sam showered. “Ruby. The black-eyed skank. She’s only appeared to Sam. She wants to help <em>me</em>, right, but she’s only appeared to Sammy.”</p>
<p>“You think she’s manipulating him?” you asked.</p>
<p>“I <em>know </em>she is. I mean, why else, right? She picked a tall, smokin’ hot blond as her vessel, she’s only talkin’ to Sam when me and Dad aren’t around. She’s promising the moon…that’s gotta be manipulation.”</p>
<p>“Saving you is the moon?” you asked.</p>
<p>Dean looked at his hands in his lap. “Can’t go back on my deal. If I even try, they take Sam. There ain’t no saving me.” You licked your lips and pulled the drachma out of your pocket. “What’s that?”</p>
<p>You flipped it between your fingers, rolling it over and presenting it to him for inspection. “This is my 'Get Out of Hell Free’ card. A drachma Hades gave me. I bury it, he comes to me.” He took the coin and held it up in front of his face. “I don’t know if he would be able to get you out like he did for me…but he could get me back in. I could-”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t that be dangerous, you goin’ back to Hell?” Dean asked, looking up at you.</p>
<p>“Yes, but…I went for you the first time. You don’t think I’d risk it to see you again?”</p>
<p>“But I just…I don’t understand <em>why</em>, Y/n. I still don’t understand why you did it the first time.”</p>
<p>You sighed and reached out to take the coin back. You weren’t going to use the 'L’ word on him. “Because I couldn’t let you die. Simple as that. You…you deserved to be saved, Dean.” Sam exited the bathroom before Dean had a chance to continue arguing. “So…just wondering, Sam, have you fucked the demon yet?”</p>
<p>“Excuse me?!” he responded, shock and anger on his face.</p>
<p>“It’s just a question, Sam.” You stood and Sam watched as you tucked the coin away. “Sex as a way to get in good with someone is a time-honored female manipulation technique. She didn’t choose a smokin’-hot blond for no reason.”</p>
<p>Sam ran his hand through his hair as Dean looked at his lap, trying to hide a smirk. “I haven’t slept with her and I don’t plan to. She’s not manipulating me. She’s trying to help,” Sam said, matter-of-factly.</p>
<p>You nodded and looked away as Sam started to dress. After so long, it didn’t feel right to watch him…especially with the next words out of your mouth. “Wasn’t Jessica a tall, smokin’-hot blond? Must be a coincidence.” You grabbed Dean’s jacket off the hook by the door as both of the brothers’ eyes went wide. “I’m gonna take a walk.”</p>
<p>You wrapped the canvas jacket around you and walked out into the snowy landscape, Dean’s scent on the fabric comforting you as the cold started biting at your face. You kept walking until you were sure no one would walk up on you, a mile away from the motel. A bus bench with an overhang provided you cover from the snow. You sat with your feet tucked under you and just stared at the snow falling for a minute.</p>
<p>You buried your face in your hands and screamed as loud as you could. You couldn’t break down in front of them but you had to break down. Dean was going to die, Sam was getting mixed up with demons, everything you cared about was going up in smoke and part of you thought it would have been a better idea to just stay in the damn Underworld and be blissfully unaware of the chaos on the surface. Hundreds of demons, Sam, Lucifer…it was too much. Just far too much.</p>
<p>You turned your tear-filled eyes to the grey skies above you. "Please. I just got back. Please don’t take him. Please, Lord. I need him. Don’t let him die.”</p>
<p>You sat and cried to the heavens a bit longer before drying your eyes and collecting yourself. “Well, pays to have the pagans on your side, doesn’t it?” Your eyes focused on a tall blond in a grey leather jacket. Her green eyes were sparkling. “Not a lot of people can just <em>walk </em>out of Hell. Most never even have the opportunity to <em>crawl </em>out.”</p>
<p>You stood and looked her up and down. “Ruby.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ve already been brought up in conversation? I feel special.”</p>
<p>“Wow. You picked a really pretty vessel, didn’t you? She still riding shotgun in there or have you killed her?” you asked.</p>
<p>Ruby smiled. “You’re just precious, aren’t you? Ya know, I heard that you had Alastair as your torturer. That man is an artist with a knife.” You flinched at her words, memories overwhelming you of Alastair cutting into you. “Have you told Dean what he’s in for yet?”</p>
<p>You looked away. “There’s no preparing him for that. Even if I tell him…”</p>
<p>“Right. Better he goes in blind,” she said sarcastically.</p>
<p>“Why are you here?” you asked, looking at her again. “Why are you talking to me?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know really. Just wanted to get eyes on the omega Sam talked about.”</p>
<p>Realization filled you as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Your vessel’s real pretty and picked to remind him of Jess, but it’s a beta. You’re afraid you’re gonna lose whatever hold you have on him now that I’m back.”</p>
<p>She gave you a perfect bitch face and moved her hands to her hips. “I don’t have a hold on him. I’m just trying to help.”</p>
<p>You nodded and stepped off the curb. “I’ve never known a demon to try to help anyone besides themselves. Stay away from-”</p>
<p>“I have saved your boys’ bacon more times than you have, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but I don’t see you selling your soul for one of ‘em. Stay away from my boys, Ruby.” You took a deep breath of lung-chilling air and walked back toward the motel.</p>
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